Autism Spectrum Disorder: Life on the Spectrum

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that involves impairments to social interaction and communication, challenges with sensory processing, and repetitive behaviors. The term “spectrum” reflects the fact that symptoms vary across different individuals, ranging in type and severity.

ASD is an umbrella diagnosis in the DSM-5, replacing the four pervasive developmental disorders described in the previous edition, namely autistic disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Individuals display ASD symptoms on a continuum, or spectrum, showing ranges of mild to severe symptomatology.

Those on the mild-to-moderate end of the spectrum are sometimes colloquially referred to as having Asperger’s syndrome, though this is no longer a formal diagnostic category. People with autism may appear indifferent and remote and can have difficulty forming emotional bonds with others. They may have unusual responses to sensory experiences. The noise of a leaky faucet, for example, might become extremely disruptive.

With more and more children and adults being diagnosed with autism, people have many questions. What is autism? What are signs that a person is autistic? What is the “autism spectrum”? Can a person outgrow autism, or is it for life? Are there different kinds of autism?

With so much information, and misinformation available, it can be an extremely difficult task to know what is true. To make matters more confusing, psychologists and psychiatrists are still learning more about autism and are often updating their research and classification methods. Knowledge of autism can in some cases become outdated or irrelevant with time.

If you’re just learning about autism, you may wonder what it’s like. How do psychologists and psychiatrists diagnose autism? What criteria do they use to diagnose it? Doctors use the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) to determine if children and adults match certain symptoms that are most closely associated with certain disorders.

It’s important to point out that no two people who are on the spectrum exhibit autistic traits in exactly the same way. While there are often commonalities between ASD people, it would be in error to say that all autistic people have the same symptoms or attributes. However, below is a list of symptoms that are often associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

When it comes to social interactions, most ASD people have some difficulty. The degree of social difficulty varies, but it’s something that most people on the spectrum have in common. ASD individuals may have trouble making friends or interacting with people around them. They often will not initiate play or conversations with others, often prefer to be alone, and may not show affection. In fact, they may be resistant or uncomfortable displaying or receiving affection.

Many ASD individuals have trouble expressing emotions and may seem detached. They consequently also have trouble relating to other people and other people’s emotions, which may appear as a lack of empathy for others. In many cases, it may not even occur to them to show empathy.

Another common sign of autism is trouble making eye contact, and inappropriate facial gestures or facial gestures that don’t match their emotions.

When it comes to speech, ASD people often struggle to understand tone, humor, or sarcasm. Children may have speech delays as an early indicator of autism. It’s common for them to use repetition of words or phrases. The repetition of phrases is not meant to communicate, but rather to self-stimulate or calm themselves.

Often ASD people have difficulty expressing their needs which may turn into a meltdown or tantrum, especially in children. Adults and children may struggle to keep a conversation going with people around them.

Tune in and learn how to identify and live with Autistic Spectrum Disorder!